How do transfer students make friends in California?

[Olivia]

I thought making friends would be easier. Join clubs, talk to classmates, done. But when you transfer in as a junior, everyone already has their groups. Analí Salazar at Cal Poly said the transition has been huge — from a diverse community college to a mostly white university where people stare when you speak Spanish .

Airin Valdez, a first-gen student at Stanford, had a different but equally challenging experience: "As a first-generation student, I did not feel adequately prepared for college-level work, especially at a school like Stanford. I often feel behind compared to my peers who have more resources or had the opportunity to be exposed to content that is completely new to me."

What's helping:

• Programs for first-gen and low-income students (Stanford has these, and they're a lifeline)
• Summer bridge programs (Airin came early for math and English classes)
• Academic advisors who specifically work with first-gen students

Jeevan Acharya at Chapman University said the key was "trusting the process, having faith in myself that I would deliver in the end." He added: "That's a really hard thing for creative people, and especially art students to do: to trust what they're doing, really believe in themselves 100 percent."

I'm trying to believe in myself. But some days it's hard. Anyone else feeling this?

 

[Nicolas]

I'm not a transfer, but I was so shy freshman year that I didn't make friends until junior year anyway. So honestly? You're not as behind as you think. Some of us have been here four years and still eat alone sometimes. The students who seem like they have it together? Half of them are lonely too. Join a club. Any club. Even if you're terrified. That's where I finally found my people.